Tom Coburn: Let’s face it, if the government shuts down, Republicans will “fold like hotcakes”

posted at 6:41 pm on September 27, 2013 by Allahpundit

Is he right? I’d guess 95 percent of our readership will say “Of course he’s right! Those RINOs always fold!” But if you believe that, you should have opposed Cruz’s strategy (as Coburn himself did) as an exercise in futility. You can’t count on a group that reliably “folds like hotcakes” at fiscal deadlines to defund ObamaCare by standing fast during a shutdown for weeks or months on end, no matter how intense the political heat might get. You can bring grassroots pressure on them to do so, but that pressure won’t reach purple-staters like Mark Kirk and Susan Collins. Even if it did, the longer the shutdown lasted, the greater the risk of a backlash there’d be from the general public; at some point, the fear of losing a general election by standing firm would overtake the fear of losing a primary by caving.

Ironically, this is why it’s so easy for so many to dismiss Cruz’s efforts as self-interested grandstanding. “We’re going to force Republicans to show some spine!” he cries. To which anyone who’s watched Republicans on the Hill before replies: Are you joking, dude?

The Oklahoma Republican said that after seven or eight days of shutdown the Republicans will begin to feel the heat from their constituents over lack of services back home, like pay for members of the military. To that end, Coburn explained that Republicans will not keep the government shuttered in order to defund Obamacare.

“The only time you shut down the government is when you shut it down and refuse to open it until you accomplish what you want. But we’ll fold like hotcakes,” Coburn told reporters. “You do not take a hostage you are not going to for sure shoot. And we will not for sure shoot this hostage.”…

“When the pressure comes, the conflict for a politician is you want to get reelected,” Coburn said. “Shutting down the government doesn’t work.”

Not every Republican would fold but not every Republican would need to. Reid would need just six in the Senate to beat a filibuster; Pelosi would need 30 or so in the House. (Once she had 218, she could, I believe, file a discharge petition to force Boehner to bring a clean CR to the floor even if he didn’t want to.) You’d need a Republican caucus full of Ted Cruzes and Mike Lees to really make a shutdown stick, and even then it might not. Cruz, having been elected in one of the reddest states in the union on the backs of a grassroots conservative swell, could stand firm on a shutdown after seven or eight days with few repercussions; if he came from Illinois like Kirk or Maine like Collins and tried that, though, he’d be gambling with his political life. Would even a stalwart tea partier who managed to get elected in a purple state hold out for weeks during a shutdown?

It’s precisely because the base fears/expects that Republicans will “fold like hotcakes” that sometimes I get the sense that the threat of a shutdown isn’t merely leverage to them. That’s how Cruz and Lee have been selling it — no one wants a shutdown, they insist, but it’s one of the few cards we can play that might get Democrats to make concessions on ObamaCare. Some righties on Twitter, though, seem to really want the shutdown to happen because they want proof that the GOP will sacrifice some political capital for its principles. It’s not merely leverage. It’s a goal (or a consolation prize, at least) in its own right. Am I right in sensing that or wrong? If I’m right, then suddenly there are a lot of people involved in this that are hoping for a shutdown to happen. The base wants to see it because they want to know there’s a spine in the Republican Party after all; Democrats want to see it because they think it’ll help them politically; even some Beltway Republicans might want to see it because it’s the only way to prove to tea partiers in Congress and elsewhere that shutdowns will damage the party electorally. With that many people invested in this happening, maybe it really is in the cards this time. No wonder CNN’s reporting that the House appears to have no plan right now to stop it.

Didn’t Coburn already give in on the cloture vote? He voted against Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, Rand Paul, etc. along with all conservatives. He is now dead to me. I don’t care what else
these politicians have done. Obamacare is the red line in the sand for this voter.

He is retiring in 2016. Both McCain and Coburn seem to be starting
their farewell tours by spouting nonsense at every microphone they can find.

I’ll put you down for “let the military families starve, screw ‘em,” right?

Adjoran on September 27, 2013 at 9:27 PM

So let’s make it clear for you.
1) House has power of purse
2) The president has power of the checkbook – he can just as easily commit himself to ensuring the soldiers get paid and granny gets her SS check and find $$ by cutting things.

House sez we’ll authorize x in the fed’s account to be used for spending on anything but OC

REB sez un-uh, give me y to include OC or else the soldiers won’t get paid and granny will miss her SS check.

Reid sez we must give REB y or else.

So who is the hostage taker? What you’re saying is that it is really the defunders who are the hostage takers because they won’t pay the ransom demanded by OC supporters, right?

No wonder the GOP is rife with squishes – they don’t know what they’re fighting for beyond ‘Go Team Red’.

It must really be bad form for Team Red to score a point at the free-throw line if the bleachers are deafening with yells of “choke!” so best to appease them with an airball and hope to score a 3-pointer on the next turnover.

Before the battle even began the odds were 5-1 against success. “If the battle can’t be won, don’t fight it” (Sun Tzu)–i.e. wait until a more propitious moment.

FOR

1 The House

AGAINST

1 The Senate
2 The President
3 The Supreme Court
4 The MSM
5 The Bureaucracy

But it’s MUCH worse than that

The RINOS make it 6-1. And the effect of perfidy magnifies it to 60-1.

Anybody with any common sense should know that instead of having your back, the RINOS will stab you in the back –by either running away or defecting and joining forces with the enemy.

My biggest fear is that this split in the Republican Party will will transform public scorn for this legislative excrement into public scorn for Republican stupidity and make Obamacare socially acceptable.

MaiDee on September 27, 2013 at 7:44 PM

I don’t think Cruz’s effort will hurt the GOP. Cruz did not filibuster to stop Obamacare. He’s too intelligent to think he had any chance of success in that regard. He filibustered to capture the base of the GOP and unite it solidly behind him. He succeeded brilliantly.

You do not take a hostage you are not going to for sure shoot. And we will not for sure shoot this hostage.

Translated: You do not take a hostage (the American government) you are not going to for sure shoot. And we will not for sure shoot this hostage (the American government). Because this hostage (the American government) is worth far more than the American people. You strangle the American people instead. That is the better option.

after seven or eight days of shutdown the Republicans will begin to feel the heat from their constituents over lack of services back home

Yeah, those seven or eight days of government handouts being kept locked up would be terrible. I know I’m jaded on this and have lost some objectivity. There are critical things in the government that need to continue, such as the military. But I would guess that most of it could shut down and we’d be just fine. It would be healthy for the government to go on a hard diet. Nope, instead we’ll strangle the American people indefinitely. That’s much better.

I’ll put you down for “let the military families starve, screw ‘em,” right?
Adjoran on September 27, 2013 at 9:27 PM

Like it was pointed out repeatedly by those who experienced the horrors of past shutdowns. A big nothing-burger. All soldiers got paid.

But Oboobi aimed his hostage taking scenario at low info bleeding hearts like you. Do educate yourself with facts and not the libtard talking points. The shame and onus id on Oboobi and his sycophants for even daring to take the soldiers hostage.

Do you not recall, just a couple of months ago during the sequester, how he threaten to veto legislation to give him full room to maneuver so long as he took the brunt of govt workers paychecks? Now why is that? Because he wanted desperately to hold those paychecks hostage.

What a maroon you turned out to be.

Oh by the way, word already came down from command days ago that in the event of a shutdown the soldiers and contractors would be unaffected. Just govt workers would be sent home. So much for your long mooted concern for starving soldiers.

I’ll put you down for “let the military families starve, screw ‘em,” right?

Adjoran on September 27, 2013 at 9:27 PM

Military personnel are not directly affected – they stay on duty and continue to get paid – no furloughs.
Civilians (i.e. Civil Service) may be affected depending on where they work.
No indication yet about impact to contractors – depends on each contract.
The DoD agency I work for just put out word about what can and cannot happen with a “shutdown”.

How long are YOU willing to see military families go without paychecks?

Adjoran on September 27, 2013 at 9:24 PM

You do realize, LIV, that military pay, SS, welfare, etc, are MANDATED payments. Captain Kickass has no power over those. Got that, Zippy? People like you, Zippy, are the ones, the LIVs, who believe his empty threats and lies.

That’s when you know they are trolling. Otherwise the proper response would be along the lines of “Whew! good to know” or rebut with a counterpoint. When they keep repeating a lie smack them down for the troll that they are.

My memory must be slipping cuz I know adjoran has been around HA for a while but I didn’t recall it was a trolling “milfan”.

Mitt is a decent man, like GWB. We have our differences, but you wouldn’t see his top political adviser going on Sunday shows saying the president isn’t “negotiating with people with a bomb strapped to their chest”. He has more dignity and class than this thug would ever have.

crrr6 on September 27, 2013 at 7:01 PM

And that is why he lost.

All I remember from his campaign rhetoric is how much of nice guy the WH Marxist is and that he really likes him.

How helpful of RINO Coburn to use Pfeiffer/DNC/Obama’s ridiculous rhetoric about “hostages”. What a fuc*king idiot.

Jaibones on September 28, 2013 at 8:04 AM

It goes deeper than “fuc*king idiot”. Coburn’s use of their metaphor (especially grotesque in light of stories now surfacing about the torture and murder of the Kenya mall hostages) shows how completely he has bought into the Dem/Prog version of life. He is perfectly content to have this argument totally on their terms. Life inside the Beltway.

Someone with principles and a modicum of courage would have destroyed the whole “hostage” metaphor rather than just accept that as the basis for discussion.

Coburn really should find an old High School yearbook and see if he could figure out who he used to be. Because he’s pretty clearly lost now.

The bill that funds Marxist Care expires Monday September 30, 2013. If the house doesn’t fund it further it dies. Everyone in Washington knows this. Yeah the dems will shut down the government. So what? If the GOP gets blamed so what? When all is said and done the GOP will be the big winners and everyone in Washington knows this also. But even that won’t matter.

And therein lies the dirty little secret. Most of Washington and both parties ruling elite consist of nothing less than socialist. The want Nationalized Marxist style healthcare. It’s obvious to any observer who has not been asleep for the last few decades. They also control the voting machines and who counts the votes and they control the media. And they set the narrative. How does the average American, the vast majority of us who still love what America is suppose to be, compete against this? When you find the answer you may find how to save our country.

I know this is a stupid question but why isn’t the GOP getting some commercials out? Educating the public even more. Clinton had campaign commercials throughout his presidency. Obama has had commercials out. Who doesn’t the GOP?

I know this is a stupid question but why isn’t the GOP getting some commercials out? Educating the public even more. Clinton had campaign commercials throughout his presidency. Obama has had commercials out. Who doesn’t the GOP?

Stupid question, I know.

JellyToast on September 28, 2013 at 8:47 AM

For the same reason over half the GOP senators voted for closure yesterday.

Bottom line; The emphasis on Democrats having full ownership of Obamacare has been placed and punctuated.

Every last one in the Senate voted to restore funding (and no Republicans). That fact should be ridden like Secretariat as the devastating effects become clear to most Americans.

The House should not take the Senate bill as passed. Rather, as seems to be the case, they should add a one-year delay in some form and pass it. Again, make the Democrats own it.

Shutting down the government is a loser for everyone. That’s not a signal either party wants to send to the electorate. So why not continue to use this as an opportunity to further show your opposition, yet show your leadership in not wanting to place the affects of a shutdown upon the American people?

That, to me, is a winning strategy with a president who has historically low approval ratings and Democrats who have foisted this destructive health care takeover on the American people.

If implemented using the current trajectory and process, Obamacare will become so unpopular in the next year American’s will overwhelmingly call for repeal. In the meantime we can take back the Senate and place an eye on the presidency in order to restore our republic to its rightful owners- the people.

AH, Tom Coburn, MSNBC’s new favorite Republican!! He wants to talk about how he’s being painted as a non-conservative. I think that’s wrong, he’s an establishment conservative, just another Senator willing to vote no on something that means nothing, so people will vote for him, but refuse to fight FOR something that is good for the country.

He can complain all he wants about tactics, Benedict Arnold disagreed about tactics too!!!

The repubic vote is as expected and is perfectly illustrative as to why they lose everything to the dems. We are a party of weak, elitist, old, senile men with “leaders” who have no spine, and women, who we need to get rid of in 2014. They do not listen to the people any more and are more concerned about the perks of congress that doing the job they swore to do. They are shysters and carpetbaggers.

It’s amazing how establishment Republicans want to be praised by the left and friends with Democrats. Imagine a Democratic senator going on FNC and trashing Dick Durbin or Chuck Schumer. It will never happen.

I used to respect Tom Coburn, but he has been in Washington far too long.

Ol’ Tom can’t even get the analogy right. It’s fold like a cheap suit. Sure do hope Bonehead does have some kind of plan or we’ll be watching Little Big Horn all over again. Say, all this talk of hotcakes is making me hungry.

Why doesn’t the House simply send it over piecemeal??? Even if doing so allows a few days of shut-down, a piecemeal strategy puts Harry Reid and his Democrats in the position of voting not to fund those military families, not to fund our national priorities.

Mitt Romney’s strategy appears to hinge on delaying until we can elect more Republicans. But I just don’t see that happening while Republicans are failing to show some spine on the issues at hand. Right now, they’re more or less ‘kissing cousins’ to Big Government Democrats. There’s no real contrast.

We’re still a year out from midterm elections. If we’re not willing to stop this debacle right now, I don’t think there’s going to be a later.

Let’s also not forget that even though Democrats have had FOUR YEARS to implement this turd… Republicans have had the same amount of time to stop it. Time to GET IT DONE. That’s why we sent them there.

The Republicans aren’t going to “fold”; they’re going to drop their trousers, bend over, and after the Democrats have finished, the Republicans are going to face Harry Reid and say, “Please, sir, I want some more.”

It’s not about folding, that’s just for show. It’s about both sides in Washington having the same goals. In the end they want the same thing. The illusion is the good cop bad cop routine they play out on everything for the benefit of we the voting public.

Any Republican that appears on MSLSD and delivers the democrat response is akin to the Dixie Chicks going over seas and trashing a sitting president. Colburn has crossed the Rubicon of Conservative politics.

With that many people invested in this happening, maybe it really is in the cards this time. No wonder CNN’s reporting that the House appears to have no plan right now to stop it.

Of course the GOP has no plan. They need a leader and all they’ve got is John effing Boehner. He’s desperately trying to find a way to help is pal- the lazy stupid bastard Obamacare is named after. But if he does so, there will be a revolt in the Congressional ranks.

The GOP needs to go all in. No half-measures. And no listening to idiots like Mike Huckabee who was on FNC this morning talking of political consequences and giving the Demonrats a free out if the government shutdown. Huckabee, you might recall is an idiot. He said that the GOP should stand behind Todd Akin after his gaffe over rape. How’d that work out for the GOP?

Coburn may truly believe that he is giving good advice and strategy. But Republicans need to learn not to attack one another in public. I hope Oklahomans are melting his phone lines telling him what a miserable SOB and traitor he is.

Coburn also said that Cruz was intellectually dishonest. Coburn has had the highest conservative rating in the Senate for years now, but as he said, he has become a RINO in a week because of this deception on the part of Cruz. That is what bothers me about Cruz. He tells people the GOP can just defund Obamacare, but that is not true. He takes money to promote that idea. He actively campaigns against other Republicans who also hate Obamacare because they disagree on strategy. I just do not trust Cruz. He is giving Obama a way out on all of this. Thanks to this stupid little stunt, Obama will manage to change the conversation from talk of his own incompetence…to talk about the crazy people taking over the GOP. Thanks for nothing Ted.

Will they fold if there is a government shutdown? Who knows. The truth is the American people do not want a government shutdown, but then again who cares about the people? Screw em. Right?

Coburn also said that Cruz was intellectually dishonest. Coburn has had the highest conservative rating in the Senate for years now, but as he said, he has become a RINO in a week because of this deception on the part of Cruz. That is what bothers me about Cruz. He tells people the GOP can just defund Obamacare, but that is not true. He takes money to promote that idea. He actively campaigns against other Republicans who also hate Obamacare because they disagree on strategy. I just do not trust Cruz. He is giving Obama a way out on all of this. Thanks to this stupid little stunt, Obama will manage to change the conversation from talk of his own incompetence…to talk about the crazy people taking over the GOP. Thanks for nothing Ted.

Will they fold if there is a government shutdown? Who knows. The truth is the American people do not want a government shutdown, but then again who cares about the people? Screw em. Right?

Terrye on September 28, 2013 at 12:26 PM

It is absolutely true. The GOP has the power in the House to defund it right now simply by refusing to fund it any further because the current funding on it expires this Monday. When that funding dries up so will Marxist care. And shutting down the government will still not get it funded unless the GOP caves.

Will they fold if there is a government shutdown? Who knows. The truth is the American people do not want a government shutdown, but then again who cares about the people? Screw em. Right?

Terrye on September 28, 2013 at 12:26 PM

So Cruz delaying a vote for two days is shutting the government down? Months of these sissy-assed jerks doing nothing about the budget. Years of doing nothing about the budget. Nothing. You mean Coburn etc. didn’t know that the Governemtn was out of money? It’s perpetually out of money because we have no budget. The larger issue here is this is not the way that the Constitution describes how our Government is funded – every one of these prick bastards know this and will do nothing about it.

Cruz did not call out Coburn specifically. Coburn has called out Cruz now. What exactly has Coburn done on any of these issues? What the hell has any of the Republican party done on these issues?

To take McCain, Coburn etc. at their word, it means they knew that the funding issue was there and that not a single friggin’ one of them did anything about it. Not one asked why we can’t follow our Constitution. Not one.

Will they fold if there is a government shutdown? Who knows. The truth is the American people do not want a government shutdown, but then again who cares about the people? Screw em. Right?

Terrye on September 28, 2013 at 12:26 PM

So you are going to attack Ted Cruz in order to support a Senator
that is one of the others that don’t have a spine.

You evidently have no understanding of what this devastation aka
Obamacare is doing and will do if it’s not stopped. And because of that you lash out and attack Ted Cruz in support of these spineless
Senators that voted to FUND this. Unbelievable.

You are the problem, just as you were during the 2012 Primary season trying to defend Romney and his lies that I pointed out to you.

You are the problem, just as you were during the 2012 Primary season trying to defend Romney and his lies that I pointed out to you.

In disregarding Truth and Facts you join others of like minded dolts.

bluefox on September 28, 2013 at 1:05 PM

Completely right. Everything is inverted — truth, morality, right action. The RINOs are essentially an appendage or subsidiary of the Left. This is why there can be no solution until the Establishment is routed.

The Republican leadership and “establishment” have no creditability with the base. They never go to the mat. They never stand for principles. They never make the hard call. When they had full control they did nothing. They could’ve gotten rid of the EPA, Ed, Energy, etc. They could’ve reformed social security. They didn’t. They’re risk averse. They’re captured by DC, and they’ve drunk the liberal Kool-Aid.
They should be screaming about all the cronyism and exemptions in O-Care. They should’ve been trying to defund more of the government with this CR. Why stop at O-Care? Go for everything. Force the Libs to justify budget busting spending. To justify their gold-plated healthcare while we get screwed. to justify cutting the military and nothing else. To approve Keystone, oil drilling, and nationwide fracking. They’re not even trying to get anything! 70% of the people don’t want this, and they’re going to do it? Its beyond stupidity going to plaid! That way they’d get something. This way, the dems know they don’t have to give anything, and they’ll get what they want.

Or if Reid is so insisting that O-Care get funded, force everything to be implemented RIGHT NOW as written. No exemptions. No waivers. No cronyism. Full implementation, including all taxes. And dump it all on the Libs. Force the President, Moochelle, and all the dems in government into O-Care. And force them into it first, before us.

I don’t think Cruz’s effort will hurt the GOP. Cruz did not filibuster to stop Obamacare. He’s too intelligent to think he had any chance of success in that regard. He filibustered to capture the base of the GOP and unite it solidly behind him. He succeeded brilliantly.

Basilsbest on September 27, 2013 at 10:34 PM

No he didn’t. He did it exactly for the reason’s he stated, not for some political benefit.

I’m going to be a bit sketchy here but here goes: Obama packed either the Consumer Finance Protection Board or Department of Labor during a recess appointment that was deemed illegal by the courts. They had adopted rules that were sweeping and deemed invalid because of the appointments not constituting a quorum. So Obama reappoints them anyway and repubs blocked him. Harry Reid threatened the nuclear option and Mitch McConnel folded like a hotcake. Obama got everything he wanted as a result.

Here we are again walking into the same shredder. Why do dems get to make the threats and the GOP senate folds like hot cakes? because they do not represent their constituents and don’t seem to have to for some reason.

If we are saddled with one party rule and that party is clearly acting against the interests of the country there is no reason to continue the current path. It is time to take action. The house is attempting to do that but because our senate is siding with the democrats thus we are not able to us the legislative process.

Short of anarchy what solution do you offer to deal with the current situation? Again, the dems are issuing ultimatums. The house should respond in kind. You would make a fine liberal GOP senator Terrye.

Open request to the senate GOP. Sack your leadership or face the consequences. McConnell, McCornyn and their allies have betrayed us. They have no plan other than to side with the democrats that are destroying our economy, our domestic peace, our international security ad our nation.

Nothing happens in a vacuum. And right now Obama positioned himself terribly by negotiating with Iran and Syria.

The average person right now hears that Obama will negotiate with terrorists and leaders that have publicly stated they want the destruction of the United States, yet he won’t negotiate with Republicans in Congress?

Sorry, but Obama screwed himself and if Coburn doesn’t see that, he really needs to open his eyes.

The RINOs are essentially an appendage or subsidiary of the Left. This is why there can be no solution until the Establishment is routed.

rrpjr on September 28, 2013 at 1:21 PM

The word subsidiary is interesting that you used. It appears more and more that the Senate is a club and all members have taken an oath to support each other way too much.

You’re correct about the Establishment R’s. They and their supporters like the RNC/ROVE and others, known and unknown to us are a big problem.

I find it telling that Boehner has not come out denouncing the R Senators that passed what he sent over!! I would be livid. But no, he’s quiet, not upset that his own Party Republican Senators left him hanging after betraying the American people.

No one will convince me without proof that this deal was not all planned by Boehner/Pelosi/Reid/McConnell.

The Republican Senators had their chance to vote No on Cloture and they bear the entire fault! No one else, they and they alone. They passed the funding for Obamacare, not Reid or anyone else.

Which is the GREATER CATASTROPHE:
1. Temporarily stopping the out-of-control, bloated federal government from spying on you, disrespecting you, harassing you and wasting $trillions of tax money, or
2. Allowing the OBOZOCARE train wreck atrocity to further destroy the US healthcare system, destroy more jobs and prevent many Americans from getting healthcare due to its high costs?

Sorry, but Obama screwed himself and if Coburn doesn’t see that, he really needs to open his eyes.

ButterflyDragon on September 28, 2013 at 2:09 PM

I think we are all outraged and frustrated with this Government.

He doesn’t think he needs to negotiate with the Congress because they don’t resist. They pass everything he wants. Boehner & Reid are his enablers and sad to say the Republican Senators that betrayed the American people with their vote yesterday are also.

Oh I can guarantee you it was as has been every other deal in recent years. Good cop bad cop routine at it’s finest.

bgibbs1000 on September 28, 2013 at 2:23 PM

The biggest mistake the House made after the 2010 mid terms was electing Boehner as Speaker. The House is to speak on behalf of the American people via each Representative and the Speaker is to conduct business on our behalf.

The Speaker speaks for the Administration and many Reps speak for them as well. Those that try to speak on the people’s behalf are attacked by the Speaker.

Some Obamacare opponents on the GOP side say defunding would be impossible even if Obamacare opponents had the votes because Obamacare is supported by so-called mandatory spending.

Contrary to commonly received Washington wisdom, anything funded by the government can be defunded — as long as the Constitution continues to contain an Appropriations Clause that gives Congress the power of the purse. Some have pointed out that funds have already been appropriated to implement Obamacare. Those funds can be rescinded. The offices already created can be plowed under and the ground sown with salt.

This is not just another law. This is an America-killer.

It’s time to stop worrying about the Republican Party and go to war for America’s sake.

Tom Coburn lies to constituents about what actually happens during a government shutdown.

rjcylon on September 28, 2013 at 2:52 PM

Coburn is smart enough to see the handwriting on the wall. The party(not the gop) is over. Glad handing as he did at Obama’s little get together before the Obamacare vote is passe. Now the hard work will begin and cut and runners like Coburn don’t like that action.

This was predicted by so many. I wonder how many people are going to buy this malarkey, not only from Graham, but the other feckless 25 GOP Senators who refused to support the effort to prevent cloture from passing.

Coburn is not talking about the RINO’s in the GOP, he’s talking about the Tea Party Tough Guys, the Cruz’s and the Lee’s. They talk tough, as does the “let it burn” base, but once the privation really starts, game over.

The “we built that” crowd conveniently forgets how dependent they are on Federal largess – most Red States take in more fed dollars than they send back in taxes. Rick Perry, from the Great Red State of Texas, hasn’t forgotten, which is why he opposes a shut down.

Even the likes of Ted Cruz thinks the Democrats will cave to avoid a shut down. Not likely. The shutdown will be set off in the Senate, and blamed on the House. Reid is pusillanimous, and will protect Obama from having to use his veto. Obama will then be free to bash House conservatives from the White House, with an eye on 2014.

A government shut down will likely destroy the Tea Party as an effective political movement (I use the term “effective” lightly), which is probably why Boehner has gotten on board.